The powerful nature of Sao Pedro’s beautiful beach inspired the design of the Aquiles Eco Hotel. It could not be otherwise, given the natural beauty and the strong character of the site. The Aquiles Eco Hotel, designed by Ramoscastellano Arquitectos based in Mindelo, reflects in its fullness and essence the ecological philosophy of total environmental integration.
This is not a typical hotel.
Eco Hotel means a hotel or accommodation that has made important environmental improvements to its structure in order to minimize its impact on the environment. The basic definition of a green hotel is an environmentally responsible lodging that follows the practices of green living.
Sao Vicente is a very fragile island, the sand is precious and so is the water. The stones from the mountains are not renewable so we chose to use a more sustainable material: the wood. All the rooms in the Eco-Hotel are made of FSC (forest stewardship council) certificated wood, European silver fir (Abies alba). Also the furniture are designed and made entirely with recycled wood. The Eco-Hotel re-use water in order to preserve as much as possible this precious global resource, which in Cape Verde is particularly valuable, due to its scarcity. In the near future, the Eco-Hotel’s aim is to use total clean energy, because in our vision this is the better way to ensure a sustainable architecture.
What we try to do at Aquiles Eco Hotel:
- Housekeeping uses non-toxic cleaning agents and laundry detergents to avoid environmental pollution
- We choose 100% organic cotton sheets, towels and mattresses
- We encourage towel and sheet re-use to reduce water consumption (guests can tell housekeeping to leave the slightly used items)
- We offer bulk organic soap and amenities instead of individual packages to reduce waste
- We offer a No-smoking environment
- We seek to use renewable energy sources like solar or wind energy, and we do the grey-water recycling(which means the reuse of kitchen, bath and laundry water for garden and landscaping)
- We also encourage recycling with recycling bins in guest rooms and hotel lobby.
- We offer a fresh-air exchange system without air-conditioning
- We use energy-efficient lighting
- We serve organic and local-grown food
Meanwhile, our social purpose is try to help the economy of the Sao Pedro fishermen village through our small activities. The entire construction process is semi-handmade, by the work of local artisans and workmen as a way to distribute benefits within the local community. The guests can enjoy the local life, taking their meals in the little familiar restaurants of the village recently opened, they can also go fishing with the local fishermen in their artisanal boats. They use collective transports (hiace) for their trips to the city, Mindelo, or just relax and enjoy the wonderful sunset at Sao Pedro’s beach.
This is not a typical hotel.
Eco Hotel means a hotel or accommodation that has made important environmental improvements to its structure in order to minimize its impact on the environment. The basic definition of a green hotel is an environmentally responsible lodging that follows the practices of green living.
Sao Vicente is a very fragile island, the sand is precious and so is the water. The stones from the mountains are not renewable so we chose to use a more sustainable material: the wood. All the rooms in the Eco-Hotel are made of FSC (forest stewardship council) certificated wood, European silver fir (Abies alba). Also the furniture are designed and made entirely with recycled wood. The Eco-Hotel re-use water in order to preserve as much as possible this precious global resource, which in Cape Verde is particularly valuable, due to its scarcity. In the near future, the Eco-Hotel’s aim is to use total clean energy, because in our vision this is the better way to ensure a sustainable architecture.
What we try to do at Aquiles Eco Hotel:
- Housekeeping uses non-toxic cleaning agents and laundry detergents to avoid environmental pollution
- We choose 100% organic cotton sheets, towels and mattresses
- We encourage towel and sheet re-use to reduce water consumption (guests can tell housekeeping to leave the slightly used items)
- We offer bulk organic soap and amenities instead of individual packages to reduce waste
- We offer a No-smoking environment
- We seek to use renewable energy sources like solar or wind energy, and we do the grey-water recycling(which means the reuse of kitchen, bath and laundry water for garden and landscaping)
- We also encourage recycling with recycling bins in guest rooms and hotel lobby.
- We offer a fresh-air exchange system without air-conditioning
- We use energy-efficient lighting
- We serve organic and local-grown food
Meanwhile, our social purpose is try to help the economy of the Sao Pedro fishermen village through our small activities. The entire construction process is semi-handmade, by the work of local artisans and workmen as a way to distribute benefits within the local community. The guests can enjoy the local life, taking their meals in the little familiar restaurants of the village recently opened, they can also go fishing with the local fishermen in their artisanal boats. They use collective transports (hiace) for their trips to the city, Mindelo, or just relax and enjoy the wonderful sunset at Sao Pedro’s beach.
